Bermuda Air Conditioning (BAC) has announced the appointment of Chris Schuler as managing director.Mr Schuler takes over from John Plested who is retiring after 33 years at the company.Mr Schuler joined BAC in 1987 as a mechanical field superintendent with a strong background in the mechanical business.The company said he had graduated at the top of his class and through hard work, a strong work ethic and getting the most out of the people working with him, he had showed leadership qualities.“I aim to continue to provide all of our customers and clients with the most professional service possible,” Mr Schuler said. “I also believe in continuing to train our employees so that we can be one of the best Bermudian businesses on the Island, and one that all our employees are proud of.”And he plans to take advantage of any new opportunities in this current economic climate.“We want to remain the leading company in the mechanical industry through these difficult economic times, and will always be on the lookout for opportunities to improve our knowledge and expertise in these areas,” he said.Mr Plested joined BAC as a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) technician in 1978 and was promoted to project manager and then managing director.“As an HVAC technician and project manager you are pretty much master of your own destiny, but once in the corner office you answer to a number of different entities that all have to be clearly understood and dealt with differently,” he said.“As BAC’s managing director I have been able to see the company grow considerably and the completion of our new warehouse/residential building is the legacy I leave behind.”The BAC Group employs 165 staff including a number of long-serving employees with a focus on equal opportunity in the workplace.